Ok I have few questions about ham radios and cbs.

I have my Vertex Vx800 commerical radio that I use for work. It's a UHF band unit and works like a charm.

My friends whe riding in cars are using little motorolla talk abouts or rino 120. But we want to get little bit more range. I have a HAM radio (no licence yet) which I use for emergency water stuff, scanning, weather , news... Unfortunatelly none of them want to get into HAM.

Somebody mentioned CD radios. But I don;t really know what they are. How is CB different from HAM? Do you still have to set frequencies or just pick the chanell like on walkie talkie?

Thank you,

Matt

Sounds like your friends might be using FRS (family radio service), they are fine for short range work. You should check out the GMRS (general mobile radop service). There are both handhelds and base/mobile units with much more power. The GMRS radios are widely available and there is a fee for the license. There is no test like for a HAM license. GMRS radios also share some frequencies with the FRS radios. The other option is MURS ( multiple user radio service ?) These radios will be more expensive and I don't think that they share any frequencies. Most large Ham radio catalogs will have some GMRS stuff in them. you can PM me if you need more info.

CB radios use a set of frequencies that are channelized. You pick a channel and talk. CB is a easy entry radio. You do not have the versitility of HAM frequency selection etc but it can be a decent choice for some sorts of communication. Range wise it beats the FRS radios by miles depending on your output power and antenna, but again everything is dependent on being able to reliably connect to the party you are interested in talking to.

CB is using frequencies similar to 10m ham bands. This band can have some interesting long distance connections, but is not used for Reliable long distance communications (100's of miles).

FRS radios are generally limited to 1-3 miles in good line-of-site communications. A decent HAM VHF or UHF radio can do much better in line-of-site, and by using local repeaters can in many cases do 30-100 mile reliable communication. A repeater will also allow communications over hills etc...in other words you are only dependent on line-of-site to the repeater.

I do not know what sort of ranges CB radios are good for.

Ham allows frequencies that can do worldwide comm, so it is your best bet overall, but a serious evaluation of your needs is required to pick the best options.

CB for car to car in the same general terrain should be good, vastly superior to FRS, you will be limited to the 40 or so channels though and may or may not have a clear frequency depending on local use.

Remember that you can use HAM frequencies without a license in an emergency. So knowing your local repeaters, local ARES/RACES/ACS groups should be part of your preparation. Listen and learn, transmit in an emergency and you will be AOK with these groups and the FCC.

Another thing to consider with your FRS radios (and any other radio) is a decent external antenna on the cars. The short stubbies supplied, operated from inside a car are just barely adequate. Getting an antenna for these frequencies mounted on the exterior of the car may improve comm considerably.

Good luck.

CB radios have 40 channels 5 Watts output. Your limitations will be the choice of antennas available and the low power 5w. Range is dependant on antenna height and gain of antenna. Generally 5 to 10 miles line of sight. Do get your ham license.

Have a nice day!
Lee <img src="images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Polak187:

You must be extremely young if you don't know about CB's.

You have gotten great answers for the technical aspects, so I will give you something that has help me with my VHF radio that we used before cell phones became so cheap and compact.

Use the longest CB antenna you feel comfortable with that has a base mounted coil and a magnetic base so that you can mount it on your vehicles highest point. The larger (in flat area) the metal radiating surface it is mounted on, the better your transmission, but not necessarily your reception. If you can allow the antenna to stand upright, it will give you better performance than antennas that are bowed over for clearance considerations like some vehicles that mount them on the front bumper and bend them over and tie them down to the back bumper.

They sell good used CB's at my local Goodwill store for $3.00 to $10.00 so you can get into them cheap if you buy one at such a store or at a yard sale.

Bountyhunter